Dying with Walnut Crystals

 At a recent class with Jenny Smallridge she showed us how to dye our rugs using walnut crystals. And I have to say, I like it. 

After. It needs steamed again.

Before.

After 

Before.

These are what Jenny uses. She sent a small packet home with each of us. I probably used a tablespoon into my largest wash bowl and left it for 20 minutes. Then I squeezed out as much water as I could and left them in the sun to dry. 

My neighbor, who doesn't hook, saw them and commented that the hen rug looks really old. Technique accomplished.

Sue 

Another Day

 I finished hooking Scrappy Hen. I even zigzagged the edges. Then I trimmed, turned and secured the edges on the Sherry's Bouquet rug. At this point I have 5 rugs to be bound, and a purse that needs handles and the top edge finished. There's also a couple smaller pieces waiting in the wings. 

Sherry's Bouquet was started this past March in a class with Katie Hartner. Hooking with this color palette was more difficult than I had anticipated. I couldn't add any darks, or any lights. But yet there needed to be some contrast. 

Scrappy Hen is my most recent finish (yesterday). I started this just last month in a class with Jenny Smallridge. Scrappy indeed. I poured my walnut water over it yesterday. And if it didn't rain. It is supposed to rain again today and this thing is sopping wet 

Birds in the Garden was started last summer in a class with Marie Barton. I basically ripped out everything I had hooked in class. I did leave one bird and a couple leaves. After being in time out for months I pulled this out and hooked. Modified it some more and hooked some more. It finally all came together. With the addition of the rusty colored squirrels and fox it turned out to appear very fall like. While I love these colors I didn't need another "fall" rug. It will go in front of the kitchen sink in the fall 

I hooked Warm Friendship on my own using a photo for inspiration. I had hopes of adding a braided edge around the border. But I'm not sure how to accomplish this and I've not seen a class where I could go and finish it. So I've decided to just add my usual wool binding and call it done 

This one I drew up and hooked mainly to use up some worms. Sadly I still have a kazillion worms. I needed to purchase a blackish wool to finish both this one and Birds in the Garden. 

The Animal Purse was started on a class with Caroline Twigg. Numerous years ago. First I was unhappy with some of the animals, I tweaked  it several times and said "enough ".  I made a liner, but it's  a bit sloppy to me. The people I've  shown it to say it'll  be fine. I need to add pockets to the liner. (What's a purse without pockets?). Then add handles and somehow finish that top edge so the linen foundation doesn't show. Hmmm. 

There's  also some smaller pieces, but they're hiding right now. They'll show up sooner or later. 

9lk 

My plan is to get these all done. Key word, all. 

What's Next?

 So.. 

I put my pumpkin rug away to save for an upcoming hook-in. I figure that way I know what to take and won't have to pack much. I've been working on my "Srappy Hen" rug and it's almost done. This way of hooking goes very fast as the loops are so far apart.

I changed out the color of the beak, I felt it had gotten lost. Does she look like a chicken?? Or a duck?? I'll be back to hooking this when I cut a few more strips.

Anyways, I have a new neighbor named Elliot. So I made her a new little quilt. Yes a girl named Elliot. What? But I looked it up on Google and it's becoming a bit popular. Anyways I've been wanting to make a pink and orange quilt. I think this turned out pretty cute. 

And while I'm talking about cute.

That's Henry saying, "Good morning everyone".

Sue

Happy 4th

 Happy Independence Day

First off I'll show you my patriotic quilts. I've always loved this first one. The colors are just the right shades of reds, whites, and blues. I've had this brass bed for 50 years now. A client owed my dad money and they bartered for this old brass bed. Which he then gifted to me. It had 6-7 coats of paint we had to remove and then polished her up. She's got dents, she has a broken side rail (that side sits on a stool and is clamped). All these years later I still love my brass bed.

This was called chopsticks and made with a 60' ruler, very fun to make.

This quilt started off with the eagle panel and some leftover red, white and blue blocks. It was my first time using a panel. In person this is a wonderful quilt.

,

Then the rugs,

A Sally Kallin design from a class  several  years ago. I had her change the center from Sweet Home to a flag 

This was from 20 years ago. It's way bright. I might just dunk it in the walnut bath when I do the scrappy rug.

Then what I've been working on.

I got this far on the pumpkin rug. Just a few berries, then fill in to do. I'm going to put it aside to take to the Wool Basket Keepers hook in at the end of the month. I'll meet Lauren in Toledo then head on over to Shipshewana, Indiana. I'm hoping to have it all done by fall. 

Since I'm putting that aside I got my scrappy chicken rug out. This was from a Jenny Smallridge class last month. Scrappy indeed. 

Happy a wonderful, fun-filled holiday,

Sue

Back to Hooking

 I started cleaning my sewing room. Then I got distracted. Distracted with things to finish, things I want to do, etc.

I put away my wools from camp, remembering to keep out those that I'm using in my current projects. I moved my new to me frame from the living room to the sewing room. And I like it. I can leave everything set up and shut the door, hiding the mess. 

My "new" frame is a snapdragon with a homemade floor frame. There is even a little stand attached that can hold my cutter, a light, or a bowl for snippets. 

So I've been working on my pumpkin rug. I am filling in some background. I had chosen a taupe color, but I feel it hooked up too light. 

So I chose this butterscotch color from my stash. I like it so much better.

Today is my community's Independence Day celebration. It's an all day event, Lexi will be in the parade, and ending with fireworks. Sounds fun. I hope you all enjoy the holiday.

Sue

What a two weeks

 Wowzers!!

I have been super busy. Two weeks ago I attended two separate rug hooking camps. First with Jenny Smallridge and the second with Kris Miller. I got home Friday about 630pm. I had less than 24 hours to do laundry, take care of any home chores, etc and I was out the door for a week at Disney World.

 I bought a new to me van for the trip. Luckily my son and his wife did most of the driving. The kids had fun, memories were made, and I came home with a concussion. Yep, konked my head really hard on a live oak tree that was bendy and twisty right along the path at one of the water parks. I'm a week post konk and still have a slight "funny feeling" inside my head. But the dizziness is gone and the headache has been less each day. 

That's me in the scooter. After three back surgeries I didn't think I'd be up to all that walking. The scooter was a good decision. Not only did I ride, but often so did Kip or Mac. And I had an extra basket on the back that held our cooler. 

And then I get home to this sweltering heat. I think it's worse here than in Florida. My gardens are weedy, but plants are looking good. I had picked strawberries before leaving for Disney and made jam. Getting home I have raspberries ripe, so I made more jam. I like the purple raspberry jam better. This is the first year I've gotten more than a handful at a time. 

No hooking or sewing has been done. After those two rug camps I just dumped my stuff into the sewing room. I'm going to have to straighten it up before hooking. I did clean it enough to find the pumpkin rug. I had misplaced it. I was sure I didn't leave it at camp but I just couldn't find it. It was right there, under a pile of wool. Hiding from me. 

Class with Kris Miller

 This class was fun also. I missed the first day due to my other class, but I knew the folks and I've had Kris a couple of other times. But sadly this will be the last time. She told us she's giving up teaching to spend more time with family. 

Class was held in the Millersburg Hotel. It was built in 1847, some famous people have stayed there, and it supposedly has ghosts. Not that I believe in ghosts. Millersburg is in the heart of the Ohio Amish community. This horse  and buggy structure was at the local Walmart.

This was interesting to me. The horse and buggies are being replaced with electric bikes. 

An Amish family with 5-6 kids pulled in with these. The mom, the dad, and the oldest son were each driving an electric bicycle.

Now onto the class. It was a three day adventure for most. I missed the first day, another gal missed the second day. This was our throwdown. Enjoy the show.

That pumpkin is my rug. There is nothing primitive about it. But I like it. A lot. I'll have to tweak the colors as the berries got lost. So for now I put in a blue to hold their spot until I decide what color to use. I chose a light taupe color for the background, but when it's hooked into the rug it looks too light. My goal is to have this completed by fall.

Today at 5 pm we begin our drive to Disney. We're planning on being on Tybee Island for sunrise, letting the kids swim in the ocean, then completing the drive to Kissimmee FL. My son will do most of the driving and wanted to go at night so the kids can sleep through most of it. After four days of rug camps I am tired, so I'm hoping to sleep most of the way also. 

Disney bound Sue 

Other Goodies from Jenny Class

 Goodies 

I really liked this apron that Jenny wore today. I didn't get a full shot. But it comes down about hip level then has pleats. It's so cute. It is from H&R. I looked, today they only have a grey option. Nope. Not grey for me.

These are the walnut crystals she uses. You can them on Amazon.

My table mate had this cute little pouch made by Jenny. I can see me making a pouch or two. Lauren gave me two blank pouches and I've already started the walnut staining process. 

This old basket had a "patch", maybe made out of weavers cloth. I'm not sure, but it's thicker than cotton. It was a cotton applique, then stained. I find it easier to work with wool to applique. I think I'll be making this at a future date also. 

Other products talked about included huck needles, they have a slight bend at the end. Jenny takes her linen pieces that we cut off when finishing a rug, serges the edges, then embroiders on them. I didn't take a picture. I'm hoping Lauren did. So I bought two hanks of wool yarn. A beautiful brown and a blue. Someone (Lauren) bought the last red one. And soon I'll be embroidering on my cast offs that I usually throw away. For now, she was giving some pieces away for free and I snagged one. 

Other mentions included patterns from Asbery stitches and Girl with a Gavel for ideas on embroidery patterns. I will check these out. 

Jenny was just full of ideas, she not only thinks them up, she makes them. Plus works full time as a school teacher. What energy. And all positive. I loved, loved, loved meeting her and having her as a teacher.